KR20200033162A - Fabric items with electrical components - Google Patents

Abstract

A fabric-based product can include a fabric formed of entangled strands of a material. The fabric can include first and second fabric layers at least partially surrounding a pocket. Initially, the pocket can be completely enclosed by first and second fabric layers. A seam can be placed in the pocket before the pocket is closed. An opening can be formed on the first fabric layer to expose a conductive strand in the pocket. The seam can prevent a cutting tool to completely cut down to the second fabric layer. After cutting a hole in the first fabric layer, the seam can be removed and an electrical component can be soldered to the conductive strand in the pocket. A polymer material can be injected into the pocket to encapsulate the electric component. The polymer material can interlock with surrounding pocket walls.

Description

FABRIC ITEMS WITH ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS

This application claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 415,486 filed May 17, 2019, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 733,461 filed September 19, 2018. The applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to fabric based articles, and more particularly, to fabric based articles having electrical components.

It may be desirable to use fabric to form bags, furniture, clothing, wearable electronic devices, and other articles. In some configurations, it may be desirable to include electrical circuitry in the fabric. However, without care, fabric-based articles may not provide the desired features. For example, fabric-based articles can include bulky, heavy, unattractive, and damage-sensitive circuitry.

Fabric-based articles may include fabrics formed from entangled strands of material. The fabric can include first and second fabric layers that are entangled to form a pocket. During weaving, a shim can be placed in the pocket before the pocket is closed. After the shim is placed in the pocket, the pocket can be closed.

The cutting tool can be used to create openings in the first fabric layer to expose conductive strands in the pocket. The shim can prevent the cutting tool from cutting all the way through to the second fabric layer. After cutting the hole in the first fabric layer, the shim can be removed and the electrical component can be soldered to the conductive strands in the pocket. Polymeric material can be injected into the pocket to encapsulate the electrical component. The polymer material can interlock with the surrounding pocket walls.

In some configurations, the cutting tool can create openings in the first and second fabric layers. To create openings with different dimensions or shapes, one or more shims can be used to prevent the cutting tool from completely cutting to the other side of the fabric.

1 is a side view of an exemplary woven fabric according to one embodiment.
2 is a top view of an exemplary knitted fabric according to one embodiment.
3 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary fabric-based article according to one embodiment.
4 is a diagram of exemplary equipment for forming a fabric-based article according to one embodiment.
5 is a cross-sectional side view illustration of an exemplary fabric-based article having an electrical component mounted in a pocket and having a fabric opening filled with an encapsulant according to one embodiment.
6 is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary fabric-based article having first and second fabric openings filled with encapsulant and having an electrical component mounted in a pocket according to one embodiment.
7 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary fabric-based article of the type shown in FIG. 5 showing how a shim can be placed in a pocket according to one embodiment.
8 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary fabric-based article of the type shown in FIG. 5 showing how the shim can prevent a cutting tool from penetrating an overlapping fabric layer, according to one embodiment.
9 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary fabric-based article of the type shown in FIG. 5 showing how an electrical component in accordance with one embodiment can be soldered to a conductive strand in a pocket.
10 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary fabric-based article of the type shown in FIG. 6 showing how multiple shims can be placed in a pocket according to one embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary fabric-based article of the type shown in FIG. 6 showing how multiple shims can prevent a cutting tool from penetrating overlapping fabric layers, according to one embodiment.
12 is a cross-sectional side view of the exemplary fabric-based article of the type shown in FIG. 6 showing how an electrical component in accordance with one embodiment can be soldered to a conductive strand in a pocket.

Articles can include fabric. A cross-sectional side view of an exemplary woven fabric 12 is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the fabric 12 may include strands 20 such as warp strands 20A and weft strands 20B. In the exemplary configuration of FIG. 1, fabric 12 has a single layer of woven strands 20. If desired, multi-layer fabric structures can be used in the fabric 12.

As shown in Figure 2, the fabric 12 may be a knitted fabric. In the exemplary configuration of FIG. 2, fabric 12 is a single layer forming horizontally extending rows of interlocking loops (courses 22) and vertically extending wales 24. Has knitted strands 20. If desired, other types of knitted fabric can be used in the article 10.

An exemplary fabric based article is shown in FIG. 3. The fabric-based article 10 is an electronic device or accessory of an electronic device, such as a laptop computer, an embedded computer, a computer monitor, a tablet computer, a cellular phone, a media player, or other handheld or portable electronic device, a wrist watch device, Smaller devices, such as pendant devices, headphones or earpiece devices, glasses or other equipment worn on the user's head, or other wearable or small devices, such as televisions or embedded computers Computer displays, gaming devices, navigation devices, remote controls, fabric-based articles 10 may be embedded systems, other electronic equipment, such as systems mounted in kiosks, automobiles, airplanes, or other vehicles, or two of these devices Equipment that can be implemented on a feature. If desired, the article 10 can be a removable outer case of electronic equipment, can be a strap, can be a wrist band or a hair band, can be a removable cover of a device, has straps or electronic equipment and other articles It can be a case or bag with other structures that can be accommodated and transported, can be a necklace or armband, can be a wallet, sleeve, pocket, or other structure into which electronic equipment or other items can be inserted, chairs, sofas , Or may be part of another seating (e.g. cushion or other seating structures), or an apparel article or other wearable article (e.g., hat, belt, wristband, headband, socks, gloves, shirt, pants, etc.) Can be part of, or any other suitable fabric based article.

The article 10 can include entangled strands of material forming the fabric 12. The fabric 12 can form all or part of a housing wall or other layer in the electronic device, can form internal structures in the electronic device, or can form other fabric-based structures. The article 10 may be soft (e.g., the article 10 may have a fabric surface that is curved with a light touch), and may have a rigid feel (e.g., the article ( 10) can be formed of a stiff fabric), rough, flat, have ribs or other patterned textures, and / or plastic, metal, glass, crystalline materials , May be formed as part of a device having portions formed of non-fabric structures of ceramics, or other materials.

Strands of material in the fabric 12 may be single-filament strands (sometimes referred to as fibers or monofilaments), yarns formed by entanglement of multiple filaments (multiple monofilaments) of material together ( yarns) or other strands, or other types of strands (eg, tubing carrying fluids such as gases or liquids). Strands can include extruded strands, such as extruded monofilaments, and yarns formed from multiple extruded monofilaments. The monofilaments for the fabric 12 can include polymer monofilaments and / or other insulating monofilaments and / or can include bare wires and / or insulated wires. . Monofilaments formed of polymer cores with metal coatings and three or more layers (cores, intermediate layers, and one or more outer layers, each of which may be insulating and / or conductive) may also be used. .

The yarns in the fabric 12 can be formed from natural materials such as polymer, metal, glass, graphite, ceramic, cotton or bamboo, or other organic and / or inorganic materials and combinations of these materials. Conductive coatings, such as metal coatings, can be formed on non-conductive materials. For example, plastic yarns and monofilaments in fabric 12 can be coated with metal to make them conductive. Reflective coatings, such as metal coatings, can be applied to make the yarns and monofilaments reflective. The yarns (as examples) may be formed from bare metal wires or bundles of metal wires intertwined with insulating monofilaments.

Strands of material may be entangled to form fabric 12 using entanglement equipment such as weaving equipment, knitting equipment, or braiding equipment. The entangled strands may, for example, form woven fabrics, knitted fabrics, braided fabrics, and the like. Conductive strands and insulating strands are woven, knitted, braided, or otherwise entangled to form contact pads that can be electrically coupled to conductive structures in article 10, such as contact pads of an electrical component. Can be. The contacts of the electrical component can also be coupled directly to the exposed metal segment along the length of the conductive yarn or monofilament.

Conductive and insulating strands can also be woven, knitted, or otherwise entangled to form conductive paths. Conductive paths can be used to form signal paths (eg, signal buses, power lines, etc.), or can be used to form part of a capacitive touch sensor electrode, resistive touch sensor electrode, or other input / output device, or , Or other patterned conductive structures. The conductive structures in fabric 12 can be used to carry power signals, digital signals, analog signals, sensor signals, control signals, data, input signals, output signals, or other suitable electrical signals. .

The article 10 is such as a polymer binder for holding strands in the fabric 12 together, support structures such as frame members, housing structures (eg, electronic device housing), and other mechanical structures. Additional mechanical structures 14 may be included.

The circuit portion 16 may be included in the article 10. The circuitry 16 includes electrical components coupled to the fabric 12, electrical components housed in an enclosure formed by the fabric 12, welds, solder joints, adhesive bonds ( Conductive adhesive bonds, such as, for example, anisotropic conductive adhesive bonds or other conductive adhesive bonds), crimped connections, or other electrical and / or mechanical bonds attached to fabric 12 Electrical components. The circuit portion 16 includes metal structures for carrying current, electrical components such as integrated circuits, sensors (eg, sensors 26), light emitting diodes (eg, see light emitting diodes 28) , Battery 30, and other components 32 (eg, controller circuitry for applying a current and / or magnetic field to materials, and other electrical devices). The control circuitry within the circuitry 16 (eg, control circuitry formed of one or more integrated circuits such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, custom integrated circuits, digital signal processors, etc.) is electrically controllable (electrical) within the circuitry 16 Can be used to control the operation of the article 10 by controlling the components (which are adjustable), and to support communication with the article 18 and / or other devices.

The article 10 can interact with additional articles, such as electronic equipment 18. Articles such as equipment 18 may be attached to article 10 or article 10 and equipment (item) 18 may be separate articles configured to operate with each other (eg, one article is a case When other items are devices that fit into the case, etc.). The circuitry 16 may include antennas and other structures to support wireless communication with the article 18. The article 18 can also interact with the article 10 using a wired communication link or other connection that allows information to be exchanged.

In some situations, the article 18 can be an electronic device, such as a cellular telephone, computer, or other portable electronic device, and the article 10 places the electronic device in a pocket, internal cavity, or other portion of the article 10. A receiving cover, case, bag, or other structure can be formed. In other situations, the article 18 can be a wrist watch device or other electronic device, and the article 10 can be a strap or other fabric-based article attached to the article 18 (eg, the article 10 and The article 18 can be used together to form a fabric-based article, such as a wrist watch with a strap). In still other situations, article 10 may be an electronic device (eg, a wearable device such as a wrist device, clothing, etc.), fabric 12 may be used to form an electronic device, and additional articles 18 ) May include accessories or other devices that interact with the article 10. Signal paths formed of conductive yarns and monofilaments (eg, insulated and bare wires) can be used to route signals at article 10 and / or article (s) 18.

The fabric constituting the article 10 may be formed of strands that are entangled using any suitable entanglement equipment. In one suitable configuration, which can sometimes be described as an example herein, the fabric 12 may be a woven fabric formed using a weaving machine. In an exemplary configuration of this type, the fabric may have plain weave, basket weave, satin weave, twill weave, or variations of these weaves, or a three-dimensional woven fabric Or other suitable fabric. In other suitable configurations, the fabric 12 is knitted or braided.

Fabric-based article 10 may include non-fabric materials (eg, structures such as structures 14 formed of crystalline materials such as plastic, metal, glass, ceramic, sapphire, etc.). These materials can be formed using molding operations, extrusion, machining, laser processing, and other manufacturing techniques. In some configurations, some or all of the fabric-based article 10 can include one or more layers of material. The layers in article 10 are polymer, metal, glass, fabric, adhesive, crystalline materials, layers of ceramic, substrates on which components are mounted, patterned layers of material, layers of material including patterned metal traces, transistors Thin film devices, such as, and / or other layers.

4 is a diagram of exemplary equipment that can be used to form a fabric-based article 10. As shown in Figure 4, such equipment may include cutting tools such as cutting equipment 34. Cutting equipment such as trimming tools in equipment 34 (eg, laser cutting tools, mechanical cutting tools, or other equipment for cutting yarns) can be used to cut fabric 12. For example, a laser processing tool scans a beam of focused laser light across the surface of the fabric 12, thereby cutting through portions of the fabric 12 (ie, thermal dissociation, ablation) ).

Packaging equipment 36 provides a soldering tool (eg, a pick and place tool or other equipment for soldering integrated circuits and other components to conductive strands in fabric 12 in article 10). It can contain. Equipment 36 may also be injection molding equipment, encapsulation tool, or other equipment for molding or otherwise forming desired encapsulation layer structures (mould caps) on circuits 16 of article 10. It may include. Equipment 36 may include, for example, equipment for depositing a liquid polymer material that forms a solid encapsulation layer after cooling and / or curing.

Entangling equipment such as tools (equipment) 38 may include equipment such as weaving equipment, knitting equipment, and / or braiding equipment. The tool 38 can be used to form the fabric 12 from strands of material.

Fabric 12, strands of material for fabric 12 (eg, strands 20 of FIGS. 1 and 2), circuitry coupled to conductive structures in fabric 12, electrical components, housing Additional equipment can be used, such as equipment 40, to help form structures and other structures for forming article 10. The equipment 40 is, for example, equipment for laminating the fabric to layers of plastic, metal, and / or other materials, for coating strands of material and / or depositing layers of material on the fabric 12 Fabric 12 of article 10, equipment for extruding, equipment for extruding strands of material, equipment for placing fluid in tubing, integrated circuits, light emitting diodes, sensors, buttons, and other electrical circuits And / or equipment for mounting to other parts, equipment for inserting structures into fabric 12 during manufacture of fabric 12, machining equipment for machining parts of article 10, robotic assembly equipment, and / or Or other equipment for forming the article 10. The equipment of FIG. 4 forms strands 20, forms fabric 12, processes fabric 12, circuitry 16, fabric 12, and / or additional structures It can be used to integrate 14 into article 10 and / or to perform other manufacturing and processing operations on article 10.

5 is a cross-sectional side view of an exemplary electrical component mounted to a fabric in article 10. Electrical components in an article 10 such as the exemplary electrical component 42 of FIG. 5 (eg, an electrical component that forms part of the circuitry 16 of FIG. 3) may be discrete, such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors. It may include electrical components, may include connectors, input / output devices such as switches, buttons, light emitting components such as light emitting diodes, audio components such as microphones and speakers, vibrators (eg , Vibrating piezoelectric actuators), solenoids, electromechanical actuators, motors, and other electromechanical devices, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices, pressure sensors, light detectors, proximity sensors (Light based proximity sensors, capacitive proximity sensors, etc.), force sensors (eg piezoelectric force sensors), strain gauges, moisture sensors, temperature sensors, accelerometers Fields, gyroscopes, compasses, magnetic sensors (eg, magnetoresistance sensors such as Hall effect sensors and giant magnetoresistance sensors), touch sensors, and other sensors, components forming displays, touch Sensor arrays (eg, arrays of capacitive touch sensor electrodes to form a touch sensor to detect touch events in two dimensions), and other input / output devices, nonvolatile and volatile memory, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits , Electrical components forming control circuitry such as system-on-chip devices, baseband processors, wired and wireless communication circuitry, and other integrated circuits. Electrical components such as component 42 may be bare semiconductor dies (eg, laser dies, light emitting diode dies, integrated circuits, etc.) or packaged components (eg, plastic packages, ceramic packages, or other packaging structures) Semiconductor dies or other devices).

In the example of FIG. 5, component 42 is electrically coupled to one or more conductive strands in fabric 12, such as conductive strands 20C. Component 42 may have one or more electrical terminals, such as pads 44 (eg, protruding leads, planar contacts, etc.). Solder or other conductive material 46 can be used to couple the pad 44 to the conductive strand 20C. In some configurations, component 42 may have two or more terminals (eg, two or more contact pads 44), each terminal coupled to a respective conductive strand 20C in fabric 12 Can be.

In some configurations, it may be desirable to mount components such as component 42 entirely or partially within fabric 12 rather than on the outer surface of fabric 12. As shown in FIG. 5, for example, component 42 may be at least within fabric 12 by mounting component 42 in a pocket (eg, cavity) in fabric 12 such as pocket 54. It can be partially embedded. Pocket 54 may be formed during weaving operations (or other fabric assembly operations). Specifically, the entanglement equipment 38 (eg, weaving equipment, knitting equipment, braiding equipment, or other suitable entanglement equipment) is between two or more layers of fabric 12 (eg, top fabric layer 12-1 ) And the bottom fabric layer 12-2) to create a pocket 54. Pocket 54 can help orient component 42 such that solder pads 44 (and solder 46 on pads 44) are aligned with respective conductive strands 20C. During operation of article 10, conductive strands 20C may carry signals between component 42 and other circuitry within article 10.

Conductive strands in the fabric 12, such as the conductive strand 20C, may form part of the upper fabric layer 12-1, the lower fabric layer 12-2, or other suitable fabric layer in the fabric 12. . One or more of the conductive strands 20C may pass through the pocket 54. Component 42 may be mechanically and electrically coupled to a portion of conductive strand 20C in pocket 54. Component 42 may be mounted to strand 20C during or after weaving operations.

It may be desirable to cover component 42 with one or more layers of material. For example, in configurations where component 42 is moisture sensitive, it may be desirable to seal component 42 in a waterproof material. In configurations where the component 42 emits light, the component 42 is used to disperse the component 42 into metal oxide particles (eg, white particles of titanium dioxide), other inorganic particles, organic particles, colored particles, or other light diffusion. It may be desirable to cover with a light diffusing layer, such as a polymer layer comprising particles. Opaque materials and / or materials having other optical, mechanical, and / or electrical properties can also be used to cover some or all of component 42.

In the exemplary configuration of FIG. 5, a polymer, such as polymer 50, covers and seals the adjacent portions of component 42, solder pad 44, solder 46, and conductive strand 20C, thereby providing component ( 42) was used to protect against moisture and other environmental contaminants. The polymer 50 can be a thermoset or a thermoplastic polymer, sometimes referred to as a mold cap (eg, when the polymer 50 is formed by molding plastic over component 42). If desired, other materials can be used to cover electrical components such as component 42. For example, the polymer 50 can be a light diffusing material, such as a white potting compound (eg, a polymer having white light scattering particles). The configurations in which polymer 50 is used to encapsulate and protect electrical component 42 can sometimes be described herein as an illustrative example.

In one exemplary configuration, sometimes described herein as an example, pockets 54 may be created using entanglement equipment 38. Initially, pocket 54 may be free of electrical components and may be completely enclosed by peripheral portions of fabric 12. After weaving, the cutting equipment 34 opens an opening in the fabric 12 (eg, in the upper layer 12-1 of the fabric 12) to open the pocket 54 to expose the conductive strands 20C. It can be used to cut openings such as 56. After removing the portion of the fabric 12 that covers the pocket 54, packaging equipment 36 (eg, a pick-and-place tool, other soldering tool, or other mounting equipment) removes the component 42 from the conductive strand ( 20C) or can be used to mount in other ways. Packaging equipment 36 (eg, encapsulation tool) can then be used to encapsulate component 42 by injecting polymer 50 into pocket 54.

Polymer 50 may surround components 42, pads 44, solder 46, and portions of conductive strands 20C. A portion of the polymer 50 injected into the pocket 54 may interlock with portions of the fabric 12. For example, fabric 12 may have protruding edges, such as edges 52 resulting from cutting opening 56 in fabric 12. When the polymer 50 is injected into the pocket 54, some of the polymer 50 may surround (eg, capture) the protruding edges 52 of the fabric 12. The polymer 50 can also interlock with the pocket walls 54W surrounding the pocket 54. This helps to provide mechanical strength to the bags provided by the polymer 50 when the polymer 50 is solidified.

In addition to protecting component 42 from moisture and other environmental contaminants, polymer 50 can be used to provide strain relief to conductive strands, such as conductive strands 20C. Specifically, the polymer 50 can surround portions of the conductive strands 20C in the pocket 54, whereby the strands 20C are kept separate from each other and the component 42 is the conductive strands ( 20C) to help prevent it from breaking.

In some configurations, the fabric 12 may be a stretchable fabric (eg, for forming a wrist strap or other strap worn on the user's body). Stretch fabrics can be stretched during weaving and stretched repeatedly during use. The presence of the polymer 50 around the conductive strands 20C and the component 42 may help prevent the conductive strands 20C and the component 42 from being damaged when the fabric 12 is stretched. You can.

If desired, openings can be formed in the fabric 12 on opposite sides of the pockets 54. This type of configuration is illustrated in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 6, the fabric 12 is provided in a first opening, such as an opening 56A formed in the upper layer 12-1 of the fabric 12, and in a lower layer 12-2 of the fabric 12. It may have a second opening such as the formed opening 56B. If desired, fabric 12 may have one or more layers between top fabric layer 12-1 and bottom fabric layer 12-2.

Openings 56A and 56B may be formed using cutting equipment 34. The openings 56A and 56B can have the same dimensions or can have different dimensions. For example, in configurations where the openings 56A and 56B are circular, the opening 56A can have a first diameter D1, and the opening 56B can have a second diameter D2. D2 may be greater than D1, or D1 may be greater than D2. If desired, the openings 56A and 56B can be non-circular (eg, can have a square shape, a rectangular shape, an elliptical shape, or any other suitable shape) and / or the opening 56A can be an opening ( 56B).

Cutting openings 56A and 56B in fabric 12 may be upper protruding edges 52A and lower protruding edges 52B. The polymer material 50 can extend over and over the protruding edges 52A and 52B to interlock with the fabric 12. The polymer material 50 can also interlock with the fabric walls 54W surrounding the pocket 54.

As in the example of FIG. 5, the polymer 50 of FIG. 6 can be used to provide environmental protection for component 42 and to provide strain relief to conductive strands such as conductive strands 20C. Can be used, can be used to keep the strands 20C separate from each other, can help prevent the component 42 from breaking from the conductive strands 20C, and the fabric 12 can It may help to prevent the conductive strands 20C and component 42 from being damaged when stretched.

It can be difficult to mount components such as component 42 into the fabric. Without attention, the fabric may not be bulky or aesthetically appealing, and / or components may fall or be prone to damage.

7-12 illustrate various steps that can be taken during manufacturing to ensure that the component 42 can be mounted firmly and separately within the fabric 12. 7-9 illustrate exemplary steps involved in forming the article 10 of FIG. 5. 10-12 show example steps involved in forming the article 10 of FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 7, entanglement equipment 38 can be used to form fabric 12 having pockets, such as pockets 54. Pocket 54 may be formed by creating a gap between the first and second layers of fabric 12, such as layers 12-1 and 12-2. The pocket 54 can be completely enclosed by the peripheral portions of the fabric 12.

During weaving, a shim structure such as shim structure 58 may be inserted into pocket 54 before pocket 54 is completely closed. This can be achieved by temporarily leaving the shed (eg, the gap between the upper warp strands and the lower warp strands) open while the shim 58 is inserted into the pocket 54. After the shim 58 is inserted into the pocket 54, the equipment 38 can resume weaving by closing the pocket 54 and completing the rest of the fabric 12.

The shim 58 can be used as a backstop to prevent laser light or other cutting tools from completely cutting the fabric 12. Specifically, the shim 58 in FIG. 7 can ensure that laser light or other cutting tools do not penetrate the lower fabric layer 12-2 but only the upper fabric layer 12-1. Shim 58 can absorb thin plates of metal (eg, brass or other suitable metal), fiber glass, and / or laser light and / or prevent other cutting tools from cutting past shim 58 Can be any other suitable material. When shim 58 is positioned within pocket 54, shim 58 may overlap conductive strands 20C in pocket 54.

After enclosing shim 58 in pocket 54, cutting equipment can be used to remove a portion of fabric 12 over pocket 54. This step is illustrated in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 8, a cutting tool 34 (eg, a laser cutting tool, a die cutting tool, a knife cutting tool, or other suitable cutting tool) cuts the opening 56 in the upper layer 12-1. Can be used to If desired, cutting equipment 34 may be used to position-specific registration elements on strands 20 of fabric 12 (eg, fabric 12 where openings 56 are to be formed). A camera and / or other sensor used to monitor for stitches, marks, magnetic tags, conductive dots, and / or other markers included in fabric 12 to delineate portions. It can contain. This can improve the cutting accuracy, thereby ensuring that the opening 56 is precisely in the proper position.

The presence of shim 58 prevents cutting tool 34 from cutting into lower fabric layer 12-2. For example, in configurations where the cutting tool 34 is a laser, the shim 58 can absorb the laser light 80 such that the laser light 80 does not penetrate into the underlying fabric layer 12-1. The laser light 80 can be a beam of focused laser light that is scanned across the surface of the fabric 12 to create openings 56 in the upper fabric layer 12-1. Opening 56 may expose conductors in pocket 54 such as conductive strand 20C. The lower fabric layer 12-2 may remain intact (eg, without openings) under the shim 58 and pocket 54. By cutting the opening 56 in the upper fabric layer 12-1, the upper fabric layer 12-1 can be left with protruding edges 52. The protruding edges 52 may surround the opening 56.

After forming the opening 56 in the upper fabric layer 12-1, the shim 58 can be removed and the component 42 can be mounted in the pocket 54. This step is illustrated in FIG. 9. The packaging equipment 36 of FIG. 4 (eg, a pick-and-place tool, other soldering tool, or other mounting equipment) inserts the component 42 through the opening 56 and pockets the component 42 into the pocket 54 It can be used to solder or otherwise mount to the conductive strand 20C within. As shown in FIG. 9, solder 46 may mechanically and electrically couple pad 44 of component 42 to conductive strand 20C. The packaging equipment 36 (e.g., encapsulation tool) then injects the polymer 50 into the pocket 54 to encapsulate the component 42, thereby forming a sealed component 42 of the type shown in FIG. Can be used to The use of shim 58 during the manufacture of article 10 is such that one side of fabric 12 (eg, the side of fabric 12 formed by lower layer 12-2) remains flat and intact, It is possible to completely overlap the component 42.

10-12 show example steps involved in forming the article 10 of FIG. 6.

10, the entanglement equipment 38 can be used to form a fabric 12 having a pocket, such as a pocket 54. The pocket 54 of FIG. 10 can be formed by creating a gap between the first and second layers of the fabric 12, such as the layers 12-1 and 12-2. If desired, there may be additional fabric layers between the layers 12-1 and 12-2. The pocket 54 can be completely enclosed by the peripheral portions of the fabric 12.

During weaving, shim structures such as shim structures 58A and 58B can be inserted into pocket 54 before pocket 54 is completely closed. This can be achieved by temporarily leaving the shed (eg, the gap between the upper warp strands and the lower warp strands) while the shims 58A and 58B are inserted into the pocket 54. After the shims 58A and 58B are inserted into the pocket 54, the equipment 38 can resume weaving by closing the pocket 54 and completing the rest of the fabric 12. The shims 58A and 58B can be separate shim structures or can be different parts of one structure (eg, a U-shaped shim structure).

The shims 58A and 58B can be used as backstops to prevent laser light or other cutting tools from completely cutting the fabric 12. Specifically, the shim 58A of FIG. 10 can ensure that laser light or other cutting tools do not penetrate the lower fabric layer 12-2 but only the upper fabric layer 12-1. The shim 58B can ensure that laser light or other cutting tools do not penetrate the upper fabric layer 12-1 but only the lower fabric layer 12-2. The shims 58A and 58B can absorb thin plates of metal (eg, brass or other suitable metal), fiber glass, and / or laser light and / or other cutting tools pass through the shims 58A and 58B. It can be any other suitable material that can prevent cutting. The shims 58A and 58B can have the same size or can have different sizes, and can be formed of the same material or different materials. When the shims 58A and 58B are located in the pocket 54, the shims 58A and 58B may overlap the conductive strand 20C in the pocket 54 (e.g., the conductive strand 20C is the shims 58A And 58B)).

After enclosing shims 58A and 58B in pocket 54, cutting equipment may be used to remove portions of fabric 12 over pocket 54. This step is shown in FIG. 11. As shown in FIG. 11, a cutting tool 34 (eg, laser cutting tool, die cutting tool, knife cutting tool, or other suitable cutting tool) draws the opening 56A in the upper layer 12-1 and lower It can be used to cut openings 56B in layers 12-2. The openings 56A and 56B can be cut simultaneously or at different times. If desired, the cutting equipment 34 defines portions of the fabric 12 where position-specific positioning elements (eg, openings 56A and 56B) on the strands 20 of the fabric 12 should be formed. Hazards may include a camera and / or other sensor used to monitor for stitches, marks, magnetic tags, conductive dots, and / or other markers included in the fabric 12. This can improve the cutting accuracy, thereby ensuring that the openings 56A and 56B are precisely in appropriate positions.

The presence of shim 58A prevents cutting tool 34 from cutting into lower fabric layer 12-2, and the presence of shim 58B allows cutting tool 34 into upper fabric layer 12-1. Prevent cutting. For example, in configurations where the cutting tool 34 is a laser, the shims 58A and 58B will absorb the laser light 80 so that the laser light 80 does not penetrate past the shims 58A and 58B, respectively. You can. The laser light 80 is focused across the surface of the fabric 12 to create an opening 56A in the upper fabric layer 12-1 and an opening 56B in the lower fabric layer 12-2. It can be a beam of laser light. Openings 56A and 56B may expose conductors in pocket 54 such as conductive strand 20C. The use of shims 58A and 58B can allow openings 56A and 56B to have different dimensions and / or different cross-sectional shapes. For example, opening 56A may be circular with one set of dimensions, while opening 56B may be rectangular with different sets of dimensions. However, this is only exemplary. If desired, the openings 56A and 56B can have the same dimension and / or cross-sectional shape.

After forming the opening 56A in the upper fabric layer 12-1 and opening 56B in the lower fabric layer 12-2, the shims 58A and 58B can be removed and the component 42 pockets It can be mounted in 54. This step is shown in Figure 12. The packaging equipment 36 of FIG. 4 (eg, pick-and-place tools, other soldering tools, or other mounting equipment) solders the component 42 to the conductive strand 20C in the pocket 54 or otherwise mounts it. Can be used to 12, solder 46 can mechanically and electrically couple pad 44 of component 42 to conductive strand 20C. Packaging equipment 36 (e.g., encapsulation tool) then injects polymer 50 into pocket 54 to encapsulate component 42, thereby forming encapsulated component 42 of the type shown in FIG. Can be used to The portion of the pocket 54 above the component 42 and the portion of the pocket 54 under the component 42 may be filled with the same or different polymer 50 and / or simultaneously or at different times with the polymer 50 Can be charged.

According to one embodiment, the first fabric layer, the second fabric layer intertwined with the first fabric layer-the first and second fabric layers at least partially surround the pocket-and the electrical component mounted in the pocket-the first A fabric-based article is provided comprising a fabric layer having an opening overlapping an electrical component and a second fabric layer completely overlapping the electrical component.

According to another embodiment, the fabric-based article includes a conductive strand of material passing through the pocket, and the electrical component is mounted to the conductive strand.

According to another embodiment, the fabric-based article includes an encapsulant in a pocket encapsulating the electrical component.

According to another embodiment, the encapsulant comprises a polymer.

According to another embodiment, the first fabric layer has protruding edges surrounding the opening, and the encapsulant interlocks with the protruding edges.

According to another embodiment, the fabric-based article includes solder that electrically couples the electrical component to the conductive strand.

According to another embodiment, the electrical component is selected from the group consisting of sensors and light emitting diodes.

According to another embodiment, the fabric-based article includes an additional conductive strand passing through the pocket, and the electrical component includes a first terminal coupled to the conductive strand and a second terminal coupled to the additional conductive strand.

According to one embodiment, a first fabric layer having a first opening, a second fabric layer having a second opening-the first and second openings have different dimensions, the first and second fabric layers are entangled together and the cavity A fabric-based article is provided that includes an electrical component that is at least partially enclosed-and an electrical component mounted to a conductor in the cavity.

According to another embodiment, the conductor includes a conductive strand passing through the cavity.

According to another embodiment, the fabric-based article includes a polymer material that fills the cavity and encapsulates the electrical component.

According to another embodiment, the first fabric layer has a first edge surrounding the first opening, the second fabric layer has a second edge surrounding the second opening, and the polymer material has first and second edges And interlocking.

According to another embodiment, the electrical component is selected from the group consisting of sensors and light emitting diodes.

According to another embodiment, the fabric-based article includes solder that electrically couples the electrical component to the conductor.

According to one embodiment, entanglement of the first and second fabric layers to form a pocket, inserting the shim into the pocket, cutting a hole into the first fabric layer, wherein the hole overlaps the shim, and A method is provided for forming a fabric-based article that includes inserting an electrical component through a hole and mounting the electrical component to a conductor in a pocket.

According to another embodiment, cutting the hole into the first fabric layer includes laser cutting the hole into the first fabric layer using a laser beam, so that the laser beam does not cut the second fabric layer. Is absorbed by the shim.

According to another embodiment, the method includes removing the shim from the pocket after cutting the hole into the first fabric layer.

According to another embodiment, the method includes injecting a polymer material into the pocket to encapsulate the electrical component.

According to another embodiment, the conductor comprises a conductive strand, and mounting the electrical component to the conductor includes soldering the electrical component to the conductive strand.

According to another embodiment, cutting the hole into the first fabric layer includes cutting the hole into the first fabric layer without cutting the second fabric layer.

The foregoing is merely illustrative, and various modifications may be made to the described embodiments. The above-described embodiments can be implemented individually or in any combination.

Claims (20)

As a fabric-based article,
A first fabric layer;
A second fabric layer intertwined with the first fabric layer, wherein the first and second fabric layers at least partially surround the pocket; And
A fabric-based article comprising an electrical component mounted in the pocket, the first fabric layer having an opening overlapping the electrical component, and the second fabric layer completely overlapping the electrical component. According to claim 1,
A fabric-based article further comprising a conductive strand of material passing through the pocket, wherein the electrical component is mounted to the conductive strand. According to claim 2,
A fabric-based article further comprising an encapsulant in the pocket that encapsulates the electrical component. The fabric-based article of claim 3, wherein the encapsulant comprises a polymer. 4. The fabric-based article of claim 3, wherein the first fabric layer has protruding edges surrounding the opening, and the encapsulant interlocks with the protruding edges. 4. The fabric-based article of claim 3, further comprising solder electrically coupling the electrical component to the conductive strand. The fabric-based article of claim 3, wherein the electrical component is selected from the group consisting of sensors and light emitting diodes. 4. The device of claim 3, further comprising an additional conductive strand passing through the pocket, the electrical component comprising a first terminal coupled to the conductive strand and a second terminal coupled to the additional conductive strand. A fabric-based article. As a fabric-based article,
A first fabric layer having a first opening;
A second fabric layer with a second opening, wherein the first and second openings have different dimensions, the first and second fabric layers are entangled together and at least partially surrounding the cavity; And
A fabric-based article comprising an electrical component mounted to a conductor in the cavity. 10. The fabric-based article of claim 9, wherein the conductor comprises a conductive strand passing through the cavity. The method of claim 10,
A fabric-based article further comprising a polymeric material filling the cavity and encapsulating the electrical component. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first fabric layer has a first edge surrounding the first opening, the second fabric layer has a second edge surrounding the second opening, and the polymer material is the first Fabric-based article interlocking with the first and second edges. 10. The fabric based article of claim 9, wherein the electrical component is selected from the group consisting of sensors and light emitting diodes. 10. The fabric-based article of claim 9, further comprising solder electrically coupling the electrical component to the conductor. A method for forming a fabric-based article,
Entanglement of the first and second fabric layers to form a pocket;
Inserting a shim into the pocket;
Cutting a hole into the first fabric layer, the hole overlapping the shim; And
Inserting an electrical component through the hole and mounting the electrical component to a conductor in the pocket. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein cutting the hole into the first fabric layer comprises laser cutting the hole into the first fabric layer using a laser beam, wherein the laser beam is the second fabric layer The method, wherein the laser beam is absorbed by the shim so as not to cut it. The method of claim 16,
And removing the shim from the pocket after cutting the hole into the first fabric layer. The method of claim 15,
And further comprising injecting a polymer material into the pocket to seal the electrical component. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the conductor comprises a conductive strand, and mounting the electrical component to the conductor comprises soldering the electrical component to the conductive strand. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein cutting the hole into the first fabric layer comprises cutting the hole into the first fabric layer without cutting the second fabric layer.

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